Forcing restaurants to close at 11pm will fuel the number of house parties across the country.
That's the warning from the Restaurant Association of Ireland, which claims thousands of businesses could become unviable in the wake of the decision.
The organisation's demanding a meeting with the Taoiseach to discuss the move.
The government's been accused of imposing a curfew by insisting pubs that serve food and restaurants close at 11pm.
The move, announced last night, has taken the sector by surprise and the Restaurant Association of Ireland's warning tens of thousands of jobs are at risk as businesses become unviable.
The RAI's chief executive, Adrian Cummins, says people will end up in other people's homes once pubs that serve food and restaurants close their doors.
New Closing Times for Restaurants will make thousands of businesses unviable and place tens of thousands of jobs at risk.
@RAI_ie seeking urgent meeting with Taoiseach @MichealMartinTD #RestaurantSurvival@adriancummins @PresidentRAI https://t.co/3n2xZo2bQW— Restaurants Association of Ireland (@RAI_ie) August 5, 2020
